


Arc en Ciel

by MeltedIceAngel



Series: Humility [1]
Category: Code Lyoko
Genre: Daycare, Established Relationship, F/M, Family, Family Fluff, Fluff, Jealousy, M/M, No Homophobia, No character bashing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-31
Updated: 2020-01-31
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:21:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22487044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MeltedIceAngel/pseuds/MeltedIceAngel
Summary: Her daughter’s classroom was in the very back of the center, the second from last. The walk felt endless as she stumbled her way down the halls.Just as she was about to turn the corner, she stopped dead in her tracks. There, in the room just across from her daughter’s, was a familiar head of brown hair that she’d never forget.
Relationships: Odd Della Robbia/Ulrich Stern, Sissi Delmas & Ulrich Stern, Sissi Delmas/Hervé Pichon
Series: Humility [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1999603
Comments: 4
Kudos: 55





	Arc en Ciel

**Author's Note:**

> This is actually a rewrite of a story I'd written on fanfiction.net. Feel free to go read the other one if you'd like! There's quite a few things I don't like about that story (such as Odd and Ulrich's adopted daughter's name), and there are a few things I like better. I think the names fit how I imagine their children much better, so that's always nice.
> 
> Original: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12468827/1/Can-You-Repeat-That Yes, this story is mine. I promise I didn't steal the idea, lol.

Elizabeth Delmas slammed the door to her car shut. It was five-fifteen, a whole half an hour after her daughter should have been picked up from daycare, but there she was. Taking time out of her busy schedule to make up for Herve’s lack of time management skills. A work meeting couldn’t be as important as a hair appointment, especially when said hair appointment was so she could look her best at work.

Sissi pulled the doors open, scrambling for her keyfob to allow her access into the building. She dropped the keys once, then again, before finally, someone was gracious enough to simply let her in. She smiled out of routine and continued inside, pushing her sunglasses up with her pointer finger. 

Her daughter’s classroom was in the very back of the center, the second from last. The walk felt endless as she stumbled her way down the halls. 

Just as she was about to turn the corner, she stopped dead in her tracks. There, in the room just across from her daughter’s, was a familiar head of brown hair that she’d never forget. She stood, observing for a moment. The voice filtering from the man’s head was the same as she remembered, but a bit deeper and far older than his teenage years had allowed. 

Why, of all places, was Ulrich Stern at a daycare in _France?_ And why, of all places, was Ulrich in a _daycare_ in France? 

As far as she knew, once their year graduated, the boy was shipped back off to Germany to attend university. She hadn’t seen him or his friends -- except Jeremie and occasionally Aelita, thanks to her husband -- for years. 

Her body bristled at what the whole scenario meant. Ulrich had married Yumi, and now here Ulrich was, picking up their grubby child. She bit her tongue, trying to school her mind to speak ill of anyone but a child, but her jealousy and anger won out, as it usually did. She couldn’t believe her luck. Yumi got Ulrich, and she got Herve. 

Lucky boy, getting so rich. Sissi wouldn’t have given him the time of day otherwise. 

Ulrich laughed once and waved goodbye to the teachers from the infant room and turned toward the hallway. He stopped dead, just as Sissi had done herself, a little boy cuddled up to his shoulder. 

“Ah, Sissi,” Ulrich said with a strained smile. Sissi hummed, looking at the boy in Ulrich’s arms. He for sure didn’t look like Yumi. Though, he didn’t look much like Ulrich either. “Nice to see you, I guess.” 

“Pleasure,” Sissi responded, looking back at her daughter’s classroom. It was creeping ever closer when the center closed. She should be more focused on that than an old flame. The love of her life, as he once was. 

“I have to go get my daughter,” Ulrich said eventually, looking down at his watch. It was an old model, she noticed. Not so rich. 

“Yeah, wouldn’t want to keep Yumi waiting,” Sissi said, preparing to walk away. To her surprise, Ulrich looked at her in shock, as if he couldn’t quite understand what she was saying. “What?” She asked.

“Yumi?” Ulrich said. “I don’t think I’ve seen Yumi in months.” The man laughed, jostling the baby on his chest. The boy whined, swatting at his dad to ask him to calm down. 

“Oh,” Sissi said, jealousy surging inside her all that much stronger. How, if Yumi was out of the picture, was Sissi not _in_ the picture? Everyone knew that once Yumi was gone, it was herself next in line for Ulrich’s affections. To see that another woman had managed to jump in before she had made her seethe. “What’s her name?” Sissi asked, not entirely sure she cared.

“Well, it’s not a she. And you already know him,” Ulrich said, and suddenly Sissi’s world crashed around her. Ulrich was gay? As in, he thought men were attractive? Not women? Had Sissi really been chasing after someone like that her entire childhood?

It’s not as if she cared one way or another. Men can like men; women can like women, but Ulrich can only like her, and anyone that got in her way was a problem. Still, that meant that she had never really been fighting Yumi after all. Perhaps she and the other woman had more in common than she thought.

“Who?” Sissi asked, unable to conjure up any other response. Ulrich laughed at her flabbergasted look. 

“Odd,” Ulrich shrugged, switching his son to his other side to better hold onto him. Odd? He had to be joking.

“Della Robbia? You’re telling me, you’re with Odd Della Robbia?” Sissi asked, unable to believe her ears. She had known they were close, perhaps even more intimate than anyone else in that weird group they’d created, but that close? She had no idea. “What happened to you and Yumi?”

“Sissi, I don’t recall Yumi and I ever being together,” Ulrich said, looking at his watch again. “It was a long, big thing that I personally don’t want to go into. I’ve been married to Odd for twelve years, Yumi has been married to William for ten. This is Ciel, our adopted son. Anything else?” Ulrich asked, soothing his son as he began to whine out of boredom. 

“No. You said you had to pick up your daughter, you should probably go,” Sissi said, not wanting to prolong the conversation anymore. Bringing up old heartaches really wasn’t suitable for anyone. 

“Have a good night, Sissi,” Ulrich said, walking away. Finally, Sissi got the chance to step into her daughter’s room and sign her out. She had immediately come to stand beside her, all packed up and ready to go. Her teachers had more than likely observed her standing out in the hallway and had taken the liberty of getting the child ready to go.

“Come on, Esmee, let’s go home,” Sissi said, waving goodbye to her daughter’s teachers and lifting the baby up. She was small for two, despite how much the girl seemed to eat. Quiet as she may be, Sissi was sure the girl had a spunk that would never quite be tamed. 

Just as they were about to walk out to the car, Sissi caught sight of Ulrich again. A beautiful, talkative girl was at his side, chatting all about her day at school. Ulrich was smiling widely at her, encouraging her to talk and show her excitement as they packed up to go. 

“My Ciel, let’s go play and eat yummy food with daddy,” The girl said, squishing the baby’s cheeks in her hands. The boy wobbled and fell over, a small oof escaping his lips. The girl shouted dramatically, lifting her brother up and dusting anything from the floor off his pants. “Ciel! Careful, Eden will help you.” Eden, Sissi thought. It was a pretty name.

“Eden, Ciel, let’s go get daddy. He’s been waiting in the car!” Ulrich said, sparing Sissi one last look as Eden took off toward the door. There had been another car outside in the parent parking when she’d first come in. She hadn’t even thought to see who it may have been. 

“Vati, I want to show daddy what I did at school today,” Eden said, showing off a picture of a poorly drawn dog to Ulrich. The mangy mutt from school, no doubt.

“I’m sure he’ll love it, kiddo,” Ulrich said, pushing the door to the parking lot open. Eden, despite being so excited about seeing Odd, made sure that Ulrich didn’t walk away until Sissi and Esmee had walked through the door as well. 

“Tank you,” Esmee said, smiling brightly at the older girl. Eden gave the smaller girl a big, cheesing smile in return, and rubbed her black hair lightly. 

Finally, they were back out in the open. Sissi could take her daughter and escape from this awkward situation. Until, of course, Odd hopped right out of the car with his loud, obnoxious voice shouting for his children in Italian. Eden broke off from Ulrich in seconds, her little legs carrying her fast toward her dad. Odd lifted her up and swung her around, peppering her with kisses. 

How unsanitary. How does he know what’s touched those children’s faces?

“My boy, come here,” Odd said next, leaning down for Ciel to stumble his way into his dad’s arms. Odd lifted the baby up more carefully, cradling the tiny child to his chest and rocking him from side to side. It was so oddly endearing it made Sissi sick, so she turned her face away and dragged her daughter back to the car.

“Mommy sad?” Esmee asked as she was strapped into her car seat.

“No, mommy’s just ready to get home,” Sissi said, and her daughter lapsed back into her usual silence. It was strange, Sissi thought, how excited Eden and Ciel were to see Odd and Ulrich when her own daughter didn’t acknowledge that she’d ever been gone. 

Perhaps, Sissi thought as Ulrich kissed Odd once in greeting, she had made a few poor choices in life. After all, Sissi knew Esmee would likely go right into the hands of a nanny her daughter would be delighted to see while Sissi went to finish her hair appointment. No tears would be shed when she left, no big hugs would be given when she returned.

Maybe it really was time to change her priorities. After all, the light in Odd’s eyes as he hugged his daughter tight was one she’d never seen reflected in anyone else.

**Author's Note:**

> Ask me questions: https://curiouscat.qa/gypsyether


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